Father Aaron Cote sat in a Maryland courtroom Monday. Months ago, the former Western Mass priest was convicted of abusing an alter boy. It was his sentencing day. Cote will get 10 years of probation. 5 years supervised, the next 5 unsupervised.

"Unless they actually confess to having committing them the sentencing tends to be incredibly light," says Joe McMorrow, the father of a victim.

However, under the sentence, the former father must now answer to another name: registered sex offender. Cote is forced to register and he will be allowed to live in a New York City apartment housed by the Dominican Catholics. Cote will be required to submit to polygraph tests.

McMorrow spoke to CBS 3 Springfield over the phone after the sentencing, and he says even though Cote will walk the streets, he'll be watched closely.

"He's going to be under a great deal of scrutiny than he's been in his entire life up to this point. The next 20 years will not be like the last 20. Children will be safer because of the outcome," McMorrow says.

Allegations surfaced against the Western Mass priest in 2001. A CBS 3 report uncovered Cote's past that includes these types of accusations in five different states, including several in Springfield. Cote served as a Dominican priest, so he was just out of the Diocesan reach, but this day, his victim's family finally feels that justice is served.

"It's gratifying. We feel like we're getting to close an important chapter in all this and maybe we can get some healing and move on with our lives," McMorrow says.

CBS 3 Springfield spoke to several lawyers about the sentence. All of them weren't surprised by the probation ruling. They say many times priests will get lighter sentences just because of who they are.

Cote was answering to those charges in Maryland. To our knowledge, no formal charges in any of the other states were brought against him, but if they are, that opens another window for him to go through this process all over again in a state that may carry a tougher penalty.